Beyond Schindler’s List

How Schaja Kleinberg’s survived the Holocaust and saved a 400-year-old Torah scroll.

Ninety-two-year-old Schaja Kleinberg belongs to a very select group – he is one of the handful of Jews alive today who was on Oskar Schindler’s list, made famous by Steven Spielberg’s Academy-award winning film.

Schaja was born on April 1, 1920 in Bochnia, Poland to Avraham Schiya Heshel and Rivka Liba Kleinberg. Home to 3,500 Jews, Bochnia was laced with poverty, but the community was proud, self-sufficient and generous. The rich cared for the poor and everyone was treated with dignity. Tall, with thick wavy brown hair and a beautiful singing voice he would later use as a cantor, Schaja spent his teenage years studying as a Bobover Hassid and then pursuing a career in business.

September 1, 1939 was a Friday morning. Nazi Germany invaded Poland. Schaja and his father were immersing in the mikvah when the city’s sirens began to wail. The Kleinberg family ushered in Shabbat as usual that night and went to synagogue the next morning. By the time they were headed home for lunch, soldiers had entered the city by foot and motorcade.

Within days of the invasion, a tank pulled up next to Schaja and his brother-in-law who walking home one morning from shul.

“What’s inside your package?”

Schaja opened it up and took out his tallis and tefillin.

“We’ll hang you by those straps one day,” was the soldier’s reply.

The Jews of Bochnia were soon forced into a ghetto where life was difficult but still vibrant. One of Schaja’s two sisters worked as a maid in the home of an SS officer and was privy to inside information. When the liquidation of the ghetto began in 1941, she discovered her sister and mother were set to be transported to the death camp, Majdanek. Her SS employer insisted she stay and work, but she refused to abandon her family. She went with them to Majdanek, where all three perished.

The liquidation intensified through 1942, and Schaja’s father was finally sent to a concentration camp where he, too, perished. He was among the last 150 Jews in the ghetto.

Schaja’s work experience landed him a job in Schindler’s factory.

Schaja was among the last 50 Jews remaining in the Bochnia ghetto in 1942 before being shipped to the Plaszow forced labor camp in Krakow. In the ghetto, he had worked at an ammunition factory, and this experience landed him an auspicious job in Oskar Schindler’s factory immediately upon his arrival in Plaszow.

Thanks to Schindler, Schaja worked under relative safety, though he vividly remembers the infamously cruel camp commandant, Amon Goth. One incident stands out in particular:

Goth had a personal bloodhound trained to kill by attacking at the throat. When the dog came out, it was bad news. Once, Goth ordered the dog to attack a young boy, but the hound loved the boy so much it refused. Three times Goth ordered and three times it refused. In a fit of rage, he shot the boy and his beloved dog. From that day on, says Schaja, Goth became a stark raving lunatic, killing mercilessly.

Schindler’s workers didn’t see much of the man himself, says Schaja. On a daily basis, they dealt mostly with Itzhak Stern, his Jewish accomplice and secretary. During the liquidation of Plaszow in 1943, Kleinberg and a group of men were ordered by the SS to dig their own graves to be shot. As they were digging, Schindler himself came storming toward them, screaming “Stop! This is one of my workers!” referring to Kleinberg. Schindler personally saved his life that day.

Eventually, Schaja was transported to Zwittau-Brinnlitz along with the other approximately 1,100 lucky names on Schindler’s list, where he worked under his protection until Soviet liberation in 1945. By the war’s end, he’d lost 61 family members and was one of only 50 remaining Jews from Bochnia.

During his years in Schindler’s factory, he’d developed a friendship with brothers Moshe and Mechel Essig. If they all survived, the brothers said, Schaja would marry their sister Matilda. Schaja was skeptical. When he realized no one remained in Bochnia, Schaja went to Krakow to find his friends and there he fell in love with their sister. Matilda and Schaja were married in Prague and soon settled in Munich.

Stolen Judaica

One day, Schaja was walking down the street when he noticed something disturbing. A German store owner had hung tallesim in the storefront window as curtains. He went inside and approached the woman at the counter, who explained that her husband had served in the German army and brought home an assortment of Jewish items he’d collected during the war. Schaja insisted she take down the holy ritual items from the window and hand over the other stolen goods, but she refused.

A German store owner had hung tallesim in the storefront window as curtains.

“The army is waiting outside and they’re prepared to come in here and arrest you if you don’t give me the items,” Schaja said. It was a spur-of-the-moment lie, but it worked. She handed over the talleisim and a collection of photos, amongst them an original picture of the Bobover Rebbe.

From that day on, Schaja developed a reputation for retrieving Jewish stolen goods whenever possible, which soon led him to an encounter with a man with a remarkable tale.

It was Kristallnacht, November 9-10, 1938, and Nazis were knee-deep in a frenzied destruction of Jewish businesses and synagogues. When they approached Munich’s main synagogue, the non-Jewish janitor convinced them it would be foolish to burn it and risk damaging the famed Munich Opera House nearby. He even convinced them to spare the interior and instead use it as a horse stable.

Risking his own life, the janitor whisked away two Torah scrolls from the ark and buried them in a non-Jewish cemetery. After the war, the synagogue reopened and the man returned to his job. He exhumed the scrolls and returned them, but years underground had rendered them unfit to be used in synagogue service according to Jewish law, so the community stored them away.

Eventually, Munich’s rabbis decided to bury the relics, but Kleinberg wouldn’t hear of it. To him, they were symbols of faith and survival.

Back to Life

So Schaja kept the scrolls with him in Munich and then brought them across the globe to Oak Park, Michigan in 1989, where he and Matilda relocated to be close to their daughter and son-in-law, Malka and Aaron Blumenfeld, and their five children. For two decades, the Torahs sat wrapped in blankets in the Blumenfeld’s cedar closet.

In 2004, Schaja’s granddaughter Aliza (Blumenfeld) Chodoff made aliyah to Israel. During her first Sukkot in the country, she was struck by the joyous dancing with Torahs and couldn’t help but remember her zayde’s scrolls in Detroit.

“I kept thinking, wouldn’t it be cool if we could just dance with them? Even if they weren’t salvageable, just to dance with them,” says Aliza, who today lives in Carmiel with husband Dov, an officer in the IDF, and their three-year-old son, Nati.

In 2006, Aliza’s father-in-law, Elliot Chodoff, took interest in the Torahs and decided to fly one scroll across the ocean to Jerusalem.

Experts estimated the Torah to be 400 years old, written in a style rarely seen today.

“Aliza told me about the Torah and that it couldn’t be repaired,” says Chodoff, a political and military analyst who lectures around the globe on the Middle East conflict and the war on terror. “I’m not an expert, but when I saw the torah it was my opinion that it could be repaired.”

So he brought it to the country’s leaders in Torah restoration, Machon Ot in Jerusalem.

Experts estimated the Torah to be 400 years old, its letters written in a unique style rarely seen today. The non-profit organization agreed that it was repairable; Chodoff just needed the funds, several thousand dollars. So he began fundraising in 2006.

In a fascinating twist, Chodoff found himself seated across the table from a close relative of Oskar Schindler’s, a Catholic educator, during dinner at a speaking engagement. Enthralled by the story, she enlisted her church to help raise the funds.

It took six years, but on December 9, 2011, the hilltop community of Eshchar in Israel’s Galilee region welcomed the fully restored Torah with dancing and singing.

A founding member of Eshchar, Chodoff calls the growing town of 150 families a “model community in Israel” where religious and secular Jews live together as close-knit neighbors and friends.

Schaya’s determination, which eventually brought a Torah back to life, also rebuilt his family. He never abandoned the faith of his youth and today has nine grandchildren and 22 great-grandchildren across the U.S. and Israel from children Malka Blumenfeld of Detroit and Oskar Kleinberg of Toronto. He’s a beloved member of the Kollel Institute of Greater Detroit, and though he long ago retired from his 45-year-long career as a cantor, his powerful voice remains a staple at family weddings and bar-mitzvahs, as well as Holocaust survivor gatherings, where he often recites a soul-stirring Kaddish and Kel Rachamim.

“I was given the gift of life, survival,” Kleinberg says. “These scrolls also had the right to live. I couldn’t abandon them just because someone said they were too old.”

Today, one such scroll lives again in the Jewish homeland, a symbol of hope and rebirth more than seven decades after the Holocaust.

The other scroll from Munich, plus one more that Kleinberg was given for safekeeping at a Displaced Person’s camp after the war, remain in Detroit.

About the Author

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Visitor Comments: 27

(23)
Doris Jaffe,
April 20, 2012 4:47 AM

Schaja Kleinberg's 400 Year Old Torah

This incredible story needs to be publicized all around the worldl How much will it cost to repair the other Sefer Torah? Every person is put on this Earth for a reason. Certainly Cantor Kleinberg knew his mission in life. Kol haKavod for enduring the hardships of life and giving Klal Yisroel this gift of a restored Torah. Yasher Koach.

(22)
Ady,
March 23, 2012 6:08 AM

Reading this story has brought me to tears. Very moving story. Thank you.

(21)
dave,
March 22, 2012 9:52 PM

Mr. Klainberg

I know Mr. Klainberg well. He's a real inspiration to all of us who know him. His strength of character and resilience is absolutely phenomenal. His voice is a true gift from g-d which he uses for all the right things.

(20)
Anne,
March 22, 2012 3:30 PM

Holocaust Torah

Lovely story. We have a Holocaust Torah in our synagogue, recovered from Pisek-Strakonice, Czechoslovakia. The Czech Scrolls were recovered and brought to the Westminster Synagogue, London, England. On one of my trips to London I visited the Westminster Synagogue. There are not many scrolls left as many have been delivered around the globe. Kissimmee, Florida.

(19)
Anonymous,
March 22, 2012 1:23 PM

400 year old torah

i found it facinating on many levels, but having one of Schindler's relatives ,a non-Jew ,willing to help in the restoration is mind bogling.
Schindler's soul must be living on in her.

Steven Pinsker,
December 26, 2013 9:49 PM

My Uncle Schaja Kleinberg’s

He died just before his son's Oskar my cousin married off his last of 4 sons. When I was sent to live with my Unce in Arez Israel at the age age of 12 1/2 because my mother died from breast cancer. He flew with my Aunt Matilda from Germany to Arez Israel and was the cantor at my Bar Mitzvah. What a powerful voice. I knew he was on the Schindler's List, but never knew about the story.

(18)
Blumenfeld, Malka,
March 20, 2012 5:51 PM

This article is about my father Chazan Kleinberg. The last paragraph has to be amended. There is only one of the Torahs still in Oak Park, MI with us. Two Sefrei Torah, the one in Eshhar, which was used to read from on Parshat Zachor by the community, and one from the era of Chmielnicki which is being checked now by the Ot Institute in Jerusalem. We are looking for sponsors for that one to be able to "live again" too. If any of you who are reading this article know of someone who is willing to help with the restauration, please contact elliotchodoff@hotmail.com or Regina Blumenfeld at rblumenfeld@hotmail.com. Tisku Le Mitzvoth

(17)
Ruth,
March 19, 2012 3:38 PM

Just beautiful

Just a very stirring piece. All should see this. Not just Jews.

Anonymous,
March 20, 2012 11:44 AM

Not Jewish and I did see it. How wonderful he is to his people.

Not Jewish, but I do see it and it is beautiful. G-d is beautiful even it the worst of times. He is with his people. I pray more non Jews see it too.

(16)
Micky Blumenfeld,
March 19, 2012 2:51 PM

this is my grandfather

It brings tears to my eyes hearing all your replies! My sister had a small idea that turned into inspirational story that has been shared with each and everyone of you!! I'm so proud and honored to share this with all if you! Always remember and never forget who you are or where you come from!!

(15)
Pamela Oelsnik,
March 19, 2012 3:31 AM

.A Story of Hope and Life

A moving account of preservation and restoration from death and destruction back to life which continues even to this day. Thankyou for sharing and may future generations continue in that blessing.

(14)
machief,
March 18, 2012 10:30 PM

Hashem Will always protect His own

Am always fascinated by the kind of mercy,Love and protection God has for His chosen
my love for the jewish nation is never ending

Beverly Kurtin,
March 20, 2012 12:50 PM

Yes

Ask the monster who killed the Rabbi and three innocent children in France yesterday why he did it. Chances are he hates Jews because they ARE and always will be his Chosen people.
People hate Jews because they don't bother finding out who said we were his chosen people; they think WE decided to call ourselves chosen and millions of us have died because of that deliberate misconception.

(13)
Maureen Moss,
March 18, 2012 9:59 PM

Remarkable and heartwarming!

Thank you for sharing this beautiful and remarkable story! I'm glad the scroll now lives in Israel!

(12)
Mikki,
March 18, 2012 7:32 PM

A Story of Faith and Perserverance

What a wonderful story. I am sure there are many other stores that haven't been told and I would h pe that these stories and the people who experienced what happen will be put to paper and pen for the future so there is always a reminder.

(11)
Al Abrams,
March 18, 2012 6:30 PM

A beautiful and inspirational story.

Thank you for sharing this inspirational story with all of us.

(10)
David Belgray,
March 18, 2012 6:29 PM

Such dedication brings tears to my eyes

What a story of love and dedication. It brings tears to my eyes.
David C Belgray PhD
Director Jewish Association for Counseling & Psychotherapy

(9)
Heinz Hesdörffer,
March 18, 2012 6:09 PM

I am also a survivor of Auschwitz II-Birkenau, "Here you come in through the gate and leave through the chimney" Lived in South Africa for 55 years, then to New York, where the climate did not agree with me, now back in Germany, where I nev

See above, I am in my 90th year and did not see this big space, hope you can read what I wrote in the One Line Summary.

(8)
Evert Marsman,
March 18, 2012 5:05 PM

To G'd indeed be the Glory, i was moved to tears reading this. but they were tears of Joy. How wonderfull these scrolls not only survived but returned to the Jewish homeland

(7)
Ayo Abimbola,
March 18, 2012 5:04 PM

Great story of survival indeed!

Thanks, Jessica, for this beautiful story. It's a brilliant portrayal of an enduring vision of Jewish faith.

(6)
Alex,
March 18, 2012 4:32 PM

My heart is filled with the wonderment of life itself

B"H
G-d does work in mysterious ways. He has certainly Blessed us he chosen people. We should never forget to Bless him as well. This is a most inspiring story. Absolutely a gift from Hashem. May we as a people never, never for who we are and the gift from Hashem of being born Jewish. I wear it with pride. So to all the people in America who find a need to define themselves, i say I'm an American Jew, with pride, humility and humbleness.

(5)
Frederica Steller,
March 18, 2012 4:30 PM

How one Jew saved a copy of a Torah scroll during the Holocaust.

I saw the movie "Schindler's List" several years ago. I don't exactly remember Mr. Kleinberg; but I did enjoy watching how Schindler protected many Jews, once he saw how terribly his own German Nazi officials were treating these precious Jewish people.

(4)
Eliana Hartman Cudo,
March 18, 2012 3:48 PM

L'Chaim

THIS is indeed a story of life! The survival, making the most of what one has been given, never letting go...what a wonderful story! Thank you for sharing!

(3)
jackie,
March 18, 2012 3:32 PM

what a moving story to G'd be the glory.

(2)
Miriam,
March 18, 2012 2:54 PM

I'm crying

Thank you for this story, so uplifting and encouraging.

(1)
Anonymous,
March 18, 2012 11:23 AM

I knew a Holocaust survivor who lived after WW2 here in Melbourne Australia

Thank you for this wonderful article! I knew a
Holocaust survivor who lived after WW2 here in Melbourne Australia called Bobek. H OBM also from Bochnia , I think

Aliza Blumenfeld,
March 20, 2012 12:40 PM

Anonymous, my grandfather indeed has family who live in Melbourne. Perhaps the person you know is my grandfather's cousin.

My nephew is having his bar mitzvah and I am thinking of a gift. In the old days, the gift of choice was a fountain pen, then a Walkman, and today an iPod. But I want to get him something special. What do you suggest?

The Aish Rabbi Replies:

Since this event celebrates the young person becoming obligated in the commandments, the most appropriate gift is, naturally, one that gives a deeper understanding of the Jewish heritage and enables one to better perform the mitzvot! (An iPod, s/he can get anytime.)

With that in mind, my favorite gift idea is a tzedakah (charity) box. Every Jew should have a tzedakah box in his home, so he can drop in change on a regular basis. The money can then be given to support a Jewish school or institution -- in your home town or in Israel (every Jews’ “home town”). There are beautiful tzedakah boxes made of wood and silver, and you can see a selection here.

For boys, a really beautiful gift is a pair of tefillin, the black leather boxes which contain parchments of Torah verses, worn on the bicep and the head. Owning a pair of Tefillin (and wearing them!) is an important part of Jewish identity. But since they are expensive (about $400), not every Bar Mitzvah boy has a pair. To make sure you get kosher Tefillin, see here.

In 1944, the Nazis perpetrated the Children's Action in the Kovno Ghetto. That day and the next, German soldiers conducted house-to-house searches to round up all children under age 12 (and adults over 55) -- and sent them to their deaths at Fort IX. Eventually, the Germans blew up every house with grenades and dynamite, on suspicion that Jews might be in hiding in underground bunkers. They then poured gasoline over much of the former ghetto and incinerated it. Of the 37,000 Jews in Kovno before the Holocaust, less than 10 percent survived. One of the survivors was Rabbi Ephraim Oshri, who later published a stirring collection of rabbinical responsa, detailing his life-and-death decisions during the Holocaust. Also on this date, in 1937, American Jews held a massive anti-Nazi rally in New York City's Madison Square Garden.

In a letter to someone who found it difficult to study Torah, the 20th century sage the Chazon Ish wrote:

"Some people find it hard to be diligent in their Torah studies. But the difficulty persists only for a short while - if the person sincerely resolves to submerge himself in his studies. Very quickly the feelings of difficulty will go away and he will find that there is no worldly pleasure that can compare with the pleasure of studying Torah diligently."

Although actions generally have much greater impact than thoughts, thoughts may have a more serious effect in several areas.

The distance that our hands can reach is quite limited. The ears can hear from a much greater distance, and the reach of the eye is much farther yet. Thought, however, is virtually limitless in its reach. We can think of objects millions of light years away, and so we have a much greater selection of improper thoughts than of improper actions.

Thought also lacks the restraints that can deter actions. One may refrain from an improper act for fear of punishment or because of social disapproval, but the privacy of thought places it beyond these restraints.

Furthermore, thoughts create attitudes and mindsets. An improper action creates a certain amount of damage, but an improper mindset can create a multitude of improper actions. Finally, an improper mindset can numb our conscience and render us less sensitive to the effects of our actions. We therefore do not feel the guilt that would otherwise come from doing an improper act.

We may not be able to avoid the occurrence of improper impulses, but we should promptly reject them and not permit them to dwell in our mind.

Today I shall...

make special effort to avoid harboring improper thoughts.

With stories and insights,
Rabbi Twerski's new book Twerski on Machzor makes Rosh Hashanah prayers more meaningful. Click here to order...